Big Three Bailout: An Alternative Solution

I'm not for the bailout, per se. I agree with Greg Saunders when he says:

"The auto industry has been outsourcing American jobs for 25 years now with little regard for the devastated communities they’ve left in their wake (seriously, re-watch Roger & Me sometime). The big three have also used their lobbying might to oppose every environmental regulation in their sights. And on top of all of that, their cars suck. Bailing out the auto companies whose single-minded devotion to SUV’s made them blind to the hybrid revolution is like bailing out a record company that hasn’t had a hit since “The Macarena”. Screw them." http://thismodernworld.com/4581


But Atrios also has a couple good (but borrowed) points. First, he observes that the Republican opposition to the bailout only solidifies the gains Obama made in rust belt swing states like Ohio and Michigan. Second, he notes that:

"How about we take healthcare off their books? . . . Instead of writing a big check to the auto companies or loaning them money we could, you know, enroll all their employees in the new national health insurance system." http://www.eschatonblog.com/2008_11_16_archive.html#6574405605070297976

What an idea! Conservatives love to blame auto industry woes on the Unions' insistence on solid health care and a dignified retirement. Japanese automakers don't have to pay for such things - Japan already provides its citizens with health care and a guarantee of a decent retirement. Thus, Japanese automakers are at a competitive disadvantage to U.S. automakers out the gate. This is why I argue that healthcare is more than a mere commodity - it also a human right and KEY PART OF A SOCIETY'S ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE. Our refusal to see past terms like "socialism" puts us at a competitive disdavantage against every modern nation in the world because the cost of hiring a skilled employee necessarily involves offering him/her some type of healthcare as part of their employment.